Football

Chris Low gives us his list of faces to chisel on a potential SEC Football Mount Rushmore.

It got me thinking about the faces that I’d put on a Georgia Football Mount Rushmore. So I got along with making my choices with the one caveat being that I reserved the final spot for a player in the modern era (1990-).

Herschel
The legendary phenom from Wrightsville, GA. He led Georgia to the national championship in 1980 and SEC titles in 1980, 1981 and 1982. An indisputable living legend, Herschel would be on the college football Mount Rushmore.

Frank Sinkwich
Sinkwich won the heisman trophy in 1942 and led the Bulldogs to victory in the 1943 Rose Bowl. He won the AP Number 1 athlete for 1942 over runner-up Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox, who just happened hit for the triple crown and win the batting title that year.

Fran Tarkenton
Tarkenton led the old Athens High School (now Clarke Central) Trojans to the state title in 1955 and led the Georgia Bulldogs to the SEC Championship in 1959. Minnesota Vikings head coach called Tarkenton “the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.”

David Pollack
Instrumental in bringing an SEC Title back to Athens in 2002, he won the SEC Player of the Year that same season. Known for his relentless drive, he not only played at a high level himself, he elevated everyone around him. In 2004 Pollack became the only Georgia player to win the Bednarik and Lombardi trophies.

Who would be on your Georgia Football Mout Rushmore? Same rule applies… one player from the modern era (1990-).

Orson Charles may wait until March 6 to announce his final decision. It’s down to Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and USC.

Kwame Geathers’ decision could come much sooner… or not. Kwame has offers from UGA, Tennessee and Central Florida. FWIW there is already a Tennessee prediction floating around out there. Consider the source, though.

OOPS Lane Kiffin strikes again!

Spokesperson Tiffany Carpenter confirmed reports that Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin mentioned an unsigned prospect, tailback Bryce Brown from Kansas, by name on a Knoxville sports talk show Friday morning.

Brown, Rivals.com’s No. 1 prospect, was on UT’s campus for an official visit during Kiffin’s comments — which came in response to a question regarding the coach’s thoughts on seniors who didn’t sign on national signing day.

Lane Kiffin is a shining gift from the football Gods to help us endure the tedium of college football’s off-season. Thank you, Gridiron Gods!

I think the powers that be up in Knoxville might want to take the muzzle off of Smokey and give it to Kiffybaby until the football season gets here. Would Orson Charles really choose to play for this guy?

Garner and Richt say they will more than likely keep the 2010 signing class below twenty, very similar to this year.

David Hale has some video of Logan Gray on his excellent blog.

Sure, Joe Cox is the starter. And yes, Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray have stolen a lot of headlines since enrolling early at Georgia. But Logan Gray won’t be upstaged… at least not in this post.

I believe we’ll be seeing Logan Gray earlier and more often than most folks are expecting. Georgia is privileged to have options like they do at QB this season.

This is a pretty funny exchange between Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Re:Matthew Stafford in the context of comparing members of this year’s QB crop to Brett Favre.

Of course, McShay thinks Stafford has the gun but chooses other QBs when it comes to grit, play making ability, etc…

Kiper chooses Stafford for everything. EVERYTHING. Mel Kiper has hitched his wagon to Stafford’s star. Hey, I like and mostly agree with Kiper but this is getting into Beano Cook/Ron Powlus territory.

On the outside chance that Stafford just doesn’t pan out his love for Stafford will be an albatross around his neck. Seriously, the guy is risking a lot being such a cheerleader.

Check this video out though, it gets downright chippy when McShay mentions Reggie McNeal and Kiper practically LOLs.

Image: CLIFF McBRIDE

So who do you think is giving Orson Charles an earful about how dull and boring his career as a traditional tight end at UGA would be if he chose to go to Georgia?

Orson Charles, who is Georgia’s top remaining target for its 2009 recruiting class, said he called UGA coach Mark Richt to “clear up some rumors.”

Charles, who may wait until early March to announce his college decision, told the AJC he heard rumors that UGA may use him as a “traditional” tight end. Charles wants to play for a team that lines him up at both tight end and wide receiver. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 62 overall prospect by Rivals.

Of course, my mind goes straight to “Boy Blunder”, infamous Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin. Something tells me though, that Charles is probably too smart to listen to that tool. Which leaves us with… Urban Meyer?

i guess Meyer is really smarting from the recruiting defections to Tennessee and losing out on Greg Reid to Florida State. He’s looking for that final splash to give the Florida class the same “umphh” that the Georgia class got when Marlon Brown chose to be a ‘Dawg late in the afternoon on signing day.

Remember, Florida already has an edge with Charles since he accidentally destroyed the Gators 2006 BCS trophy.

Chris Low publishes his early schedule snapshot for the Georgia Bulldogs and gives us some props for the non-conference opponents.

Low also has a piece about how Lane Kiffin isn’t backing down. Thanks Lane, keep it up!

Bernie has some advice on how to survive the malaise of the off-season.

Georgia Sports Blog takes a look at the people running Georgia’s search for a new basketball coach. It will make you feel good about our chances to get the right guy.

Sports Illustrated on Lane Kiffin’s rocky start in Rocky Top.

Tennessee enters the Mack Brown sweepstakes.

It won’t be too much longer before Orson Charles makes up his mind.

Ching talks with Jeff Owens about his new blog.

Al.com columnist Paul Finebaum puts in print what everyone around the SEC is thinkging… that Tennessee should cut it’s losses and fire Kiffin to save their program a coaching debacle.

There is a simple solution to the anarchy at Tennessee. It doesn’t require committee meetings or deep analysis. It might be costly in the short term, but the long-term effect will be bountiful.

To maintain even a modicum of integrity and respect in the world of college football, Tennessee needs to fire Lane Kiffin as its head football coach.

Well, that didn’t take long. Paul Finebaum is a UT alumn, so he must really care. Right?

What do you do after you come to your senses and fire Lame Kiffin? You go after recently fired Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden.

Gruden would be the perfect replacement. He is available and anxious, having just shockingly lost his job with the Tampa Bay Bucs. His résumé is spectacular, with a Super Bowl championship ring. He actually won with the Oakland Raiders, going 38-26 vs. Kiffin’s 5-15. He would get Tennessee immediately back on track. Besides, if UT delays, Gruden will get snapped up by Notre Dame or another major school next year and be gone forever.

Gruden is such wishful thinking. Why would an NFL guy who will in all likelihood have plenty of NFL choices next year going to go to the train wreck previously known as the University of Tennessee?

His wife, Cindy, was a UT cheerleader.

Maybe she’d take the UT job. Unconventional for sure, but an upgrade nonetheless.

I recently came across this captivating essay by Joe Posnanski on Herschel Walker. It’s a must read for any Georgia fan and especially entertaining for someone like me who was 6 years old during Walker’s legendary freshman season.

I was aware of his greatness, even fortunate enough to attend a few games that year, but not aware of his mythical recruitment and the uniqueness of his once in a lifetime football prowess.

Posnanski’s essay covers everything from the origins of his legendary commitment to physical fitness…

“What do you like to do?” the father asked.

“Watch TV,” the boy said.

Not much of an answer, is it? But this was a wise father, and he said: “OK, if that’s what you like doing, fine. You can watch as much television as you want. But during the commercials, you must exercise. That’s the deal.”

The boy agreed. He would watch television. But during commercials, he would do pushups, sit-ups, chin-ups, he would go outside and run sprints. After a little while, he could feel his body changing. His arms bulked, his legs moved faster. He did more sit-ups, more pushups, more chin-ups. He would race his older sister, Christine, and she would beat him, and he would get mad, and he would do more sit-ups, more pushups, run more sprints.

… to his less than magical professional career:

The legend ends there. Herschel went pro. It was, looking back, a better pro career than most remember. He went to the USFL for some obscene amount of money (something like $16 million guaranteed), and he rushed for more than 5,000 yards in three years, and one of those seasons he ran for 2,411 yards. Nobody really knew what that meant though — being the USFL and all — and nobody knows now.

If you were around to absorb and appreciate the Herschel experience this might be a nice trip down memory lane, if you’re like me though, this is like reading the book when you’d only read the back cover.

Plenty of links to cure your case of the Mondays. Enjoy the weather this weekend?

David Hale has a talk with Reshad Jones
about his decision to stay at Georgia and his emerging leadership role in the ‘Dawg defensive backfield.

Rodney Garner breaks down the 2009 Georgia Bulldog recruiting class.

Georgia is reaching out to all parts of the country to sign top football talent. Signed the number one ranked players from Tennessee, Indiana and Massachusetts.

Bobby Knight is tired of Georgia not kissing his ass so now he has extended an offer to Alabama to allow them to kiss his ass.

Chip Towers calls out the programs that are signing way more recruits than the 25 scholarship limit allows.

Georgia Sports Blog makes us aware that there are more attractive basketball programs than Georgia that could also lose their coaches.

Meet Kiante Tripp, the drifter who has hopefully made his last stop at DE.

Remember Michael Lemon? He has been invited to walk-on at South Carolina by Steve Spurrier.

Speaking of South Carolina… DE Eric Norwood calls Georgia his biggest rival.

Will the Marlon Brown/A.J. Greene receiving duo be the best in UGA history? Buck Belue thinks so…

The AJC is reporting that Georgia is holding two scholarships for additional committments to the already stellar 2009 recruiting class. Orson Charles is no surprise but the Kwame Geathers offer is news because there has been some debate about whether or not an offer had actually been extended.

Georgia has signed 18 players for its 2009 recruiting class and hopes to add two more, tight end Orson Charles of Tampa and defensive tackle Kwame Geathers of Carver’s Bay, S.C.

Some patience will be required for Orson Charles’ decision but Geathers decision could come at any time.

Charles said he will announce his college decision after returning from official visit to Southern Cal on Feb. 20. Geathers, the younger brother of former UGA standout Robert Geathers, had told GoGamecocks.com that he could sign with Georgia or Central Florida by as early as the upcoming week.

Adding one or both of these commitments would make the 2009 downright gaudy. Though there may have been some consternation amongst fans when a few remaining targets chose to go elsewhere on signing day, Georgia closed with a bang by signing Memphis WR Marlon Brown. Adding Charles and Geathers would be some delicious gravy on the 2009 recruiting feast.

And if you want to read something to get you excited about Orson Charles joining the same receiving corps as A.J. Greene and Marlon Brown, check out Buck Belue’s latest post about the receiving weapons Joe Cox will have access to in 2009.

Imagine if Murray’s go-to-guy—Orson Charles—decides to join his HS QB in Athens? Charles working the middle of the field, Green and Brown working the outside. Wow.

Wow, indeed.